


Vault Lightning

by Flametempest



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 3
Genre: Denial of Feelings, F/M, I'm bad at tags, Musicals, Slow Burn, Teen Romance, They're performing Grease, gratuitous pip-boy programming
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-28
Updated: 2016-09-16
Packaged: 2018-07-18 17:02:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7323514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flametempest/pseuds/Flametempest
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if the Vault kids had to perform Grease? They already have a bunch of Greasers I mean it kinda had to happen.<br/>Inspiration from this post http://schuyler-s.tumblr.com/post/141985515105/okay-but-consider-this-vault-kids-are-gonna from schuyler-s on Tumblr.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Look at me I'm Susie Mack

**Author's Note:**

> Full credit for this idea goes to Schuyler-s on Tumblr because without them I never would have rewatched Grease and realised what a glorious opportunity this was. 
> 
> If you like please consider dropping me a Kudos/comment because I totally need motivation, I'm awful.

“Oh god I don’t think I can do this.” Amata whimpered, pacing back and forth in front of the classroom with her arms wrapped around herself. She had been doing this for the last ten minutes. She was going to wear a track in the floor at this rate. 

Ellie sighed before grasping her by the shoulders gently. It was a bit of an awkward stance as she had to lean up on her toes to even reach her properly but luckily Amata was already looking down so their eyes met. “Calm down A. It’s just an audition; it’s not the end of the world.”

The taller girl looked at her with eyes full of fear and shook her head. “No I know it’s just…I know I’m not good at singing, I just don’t want to get teased about it.”

“Believe me, there are going to be way more embarrassing auditions than yours. We have the musical stylings of the Tunnel Snakes to look forward to after all.” Ellie snorted, drawing a laugh from her friend.

“Okay maybe it won’t be that bad” Amata conceded, a smile beginning to form on her face.

“Of course it won’t!” Ellie chirped, grabbing her wrist and beginning to head into the classroom. “Just…what is it they say? Imagine everyone in their underwear if you’re nervous?”

She burst out laughing at this. “Oh god, I do not want to picture Wally in his underwear”

“Hey, at least you’d be too busy gagging to be nervous!”

The rest of the class slowly filtered in after the girls took their seats and eventually Mr. Brotch stood up at the front of the room.   
“Class, I know some of your aren’t very excited at the idea of a musical but I’m sure if you just give it a try you’ll see it’s a lot more fun than you expected.” The Teacher smiled, earning some groans from the boys at the back of the class. “On that note,” he continued, gesturing to his side. “Beatrice has very kindly stepped forward to help direct the play and I’m sure with her help that it will be a great success.”

With that, the vaults resident poet stepped forward and graced the class with a wide smile. “These are the moments you will look back on fondly in the future dearies, so treasure this time! Musicals bring us together and bring out the performer in us all! I’m sure you’ll be surprised at the talent waiting to erupt from your classmates!”

Ellie and Amata glanced at each other awkwardly as Beatrice spoke. The woman was nothing if not passionate. Very, very passionate. 

Eventually when Beatrice’s speech came to an end, Mr. Brotch stepped up once again. “So, would anyone like to volunteer to go first?”

The room suddenly hit a dead silence as no one dared to put themselves forward as the first to audition. The awkward quiet hung in the air for several moments before Mr. Brotch sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “If no one volunteers then I’m just going to have to pick them at random.” Silence. “Alright then…Ms. Almodovar! How about you start us off?”

Amata’s eyes went wide and she sat bolt upright in her seat. “I-uhm, do I-do I have to?”

“Surely it’s better to get it over with, hmm?” The teacher asked, gesturing rather insistently for her to come to the front of the class. 

Swallowing a lump in her throat, the girl shakily made her way to the top of the class. The fact that you could hear a pin drop in the room didn’t exactly help her nerves and so Ellie wooped loudly to break the silence. “Wooo! Go Amata!! You’ll rock it!!” she cheered, ignoring the sneers she got from her other classmates.

The girls had a few songs to choose from when it came to solos from the movie and so Amata picked the holotape that she wanted and clicked it into her pip-boy with shaky hands. When the music for “Hopelessly Devoted to You” began she shut her eyes tight and just waited for her cue. 

All in all, though her voice wavered and she stood stiff as a board at the top of the class, it wasn’t the worst performance of the song in the history of the world. As soon as the music faded out it was as if Amata let out a breath that she had been holding throughout the entire thing and practically ran back to her seat as Ellie clapped overly enthusiastically. 

“Well done Amata, darling!” Beatrice cooed, “What a beautiful performance to start us off!”

“Yes, well done Ms. Almodovar” Mr. Brotch smiled, “That wasn’t too difficult was it? Now, how about next we have…”

“Talk about tone deaf” Christine sniggered as the red faced Overseer’s daughter took her seat. 

“Put up or shut up, Christine.” Ellie shot back, eyes narrowing. “Though from what I’ve heard you’re more familiar with putting out"

Christine’s face flushed but Susie cut in with her own retort. “Why don’t you go back down to the reactor you little troll. It’s not like you have any chance of actually getting the lead.

“Yeah, Sandy’s supposed to be y’know…desirable? Not…whatever you are.” Christine scoffed.

“Oh girls, I await your rendition of dying cats with bated breath” The freckled girl replied with a sneer just as Susie’s name was called.

“Girls, considering you’re so vocal, we’ll continue with you. Ms. Mack, how about you take the reins?” Mr. Brotch interjected, breaking up their little spat.

“This is going to be something called ‘talent’. I know you’re unfamiliar with it but pay attention.” Susie hummed condescendingly, gliding to the top of the class.

Ellie grit her teeth as the girl launched into her own version of Hopelessly Devoted just to upstage Amata and annoyingly, she was good. She obviously thought so herself because she was getting wrapped up in it all, clutching at her heart dramatically and swaying at the top of the room rhythmically.

“Look it doesn’t matter, I know I can’t sing.” Amata sighed quietly when she saw Ellie’s glare, face still tinged slightly red from embarrassment.

Ellie narrowed her eyes. “It’s the principle of the matter. Besides, you weren’t even that bad.”

She rolled her eyes. “Just let her have her moment and play Sandy. With any luck she’ll be too busy rehearsing to pay attention to us.”

The blonde let out an indignant huff and glared at Susie through her entire performance as if to will her to spontaneously combust. When the class gave her a round of applause and Mr.Brotch complimented her on her talent as the song drew to a close, Ellie shot up.  
“I wanna go next!” She spoke out, ignoring when Susie laughed under her breath as they passed each other, mouth set into a determined line.  
Once at the top of the room she tried not to think about the many sets of eyes on her making her stomach clench and instead focused on spite to drive her. Plastering a fake smile on her face she looked to Susie. “I don’t know how I could possibly follow a performance like that but I suppose I’ll just have to try.”

Clicking in the holotape with her music on it she steeled herself. 1…2…3…

“Look at me I’m Saaandra Dee~” she began to bellow, glaring pointedly at Susie. “Lousy with virginity! Won’t go to bed til’ I’m legally wed, I can’t! I’m Sandra Dee!”  
Sashaying around the room, she tried to concentrate on how much she was annoying Susie rather than how much of a fool she probably looked and she started to get into the song more as it went on. Moving to Christine’s place she shoved the girl lightly before leaning over her desk. “Watch it! Hey I’m Doris Day. I was not brought up that way~ Won’t come across, even Rock Hudson lost his heart to Doris Daaaaay~”

If looks could kill, Ellie would have been brutally murdered by now. She could feel the eyes of both Susie and Christine shooting daggers into her as she sang through the song and this only fuelled her more. This time shimmying up to Susie she got obnoxiously close to her and crooned. “I don’t drink, or swear. I don’t rat my hair. I get ill from one cigarette~!” Jumping away suddenly she gasped. “Keep your filthy paws off my silky drawers! Would you pull that crap with Annette~?!”

Sidling up to where the boys were, she threw herself across the lap of Freddie Gomez for the next part. “As for you Troy Donoghue…I know what you wanna do~” Jumping up and draping herself over the back of his chair, she let her hands move down his chest as she continued. “You’ve got your crust, I’m no object of lust, I’m just plain Sandra Dee!” Freddie’s face had turned as red as a tomato from her unexpected display but as she spun away in time with the music she found herself inadvertently backing into Butch who had indignantly stood himself near the door in an effort to appear too cool for this scene.

When he put his hands out to stop her from bashing into him she seized the opportunity and quickly grabbed a hold of him, twirling and wrapping his arms around her so that her back was flush with his chest.   
“Elvis, Elvis, let me be!” she cooed, pretending to struggle as she wiggled her hips against him. “Keep that pelvis far from me!” Turning quickly in his arms she grinned and placed a hand on his cheek “Just keep your cool, now you’re starting to drool~” Popping her vault suit collar she took a step back and began to saunter to the front of the class. “Hey, Fongul. I’m Sandra Dee.”

Quickly glancing to see Susie’s murderous glare she smirked and added. “Some people are so touchy.”


	2. Whyaiaiughhwaiii

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys auditions are here!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off I just wanna say thank you so much for all the positive feedback on this so far! I didn't expect such a great response so I'm hoping to keep on delivering on that!  
> As a sidenote: If anyone would like to chat, I'm @Tabsris on tumblr so I'm open to any ideas anyone has!
> 
> Some background info: Ellie got pip-boy programmer in the G.O.A.T and I thought it would be cool to play around with that so pip-boy messaging is a thing here. I've been writing some other ficlets with her that explore that stuff a bit more so I might post them eventually for more context but for now just know it's a thing and she only actually programmed a couple of people's pip-boys with the software.

“Wow, talk about a surprise! I had no idea you had it in you, Ms Hart!” Mr Brotch exclaimed happily while Ellie bowed dramatically. 

“Susie’s wonderful performance inspired me!” She beamed, skipping back to her seat.

“See class!” The Teacher grinned, completely oblivious to her duplicity. “This can actually be a fun experience! Next up why don’t we finish up with the girls and have Christine?”

After managing to keep the smile up until she reached her place again, the second her butt hit the seat, Ellie turned to give an ugly scowl to Susie, sticking her tongue out for good measure.  
The other girl looked furious but decided to stare pointedly ahead to Christine, ignoring the immature twerp.

“That was fantastic, El!” Amata whispered; a wide smile on her face.

Ellie gave her a smug smirk. “What’s fantastic is that it annoyed Susie.”

“You might even be a contender for Sandy!” Amata grinned and the freckled girl shook her head worriedly in response.

“What-no! I don’t wanna be Sandy!”

Amata frowned at her and Ellie eventually turned her attention to Christine’s audition, heartbeat a little erratic at the idea of being cast in the lead. Trying not to focus on it she laughed a little at Christine. For someone who called Amata tone deaf, she wasn’t exactly Ella Fitzgerald herself. At one point she tried to hit a high note and everyone in the room flinched a little. Ouch.

Halfway through, Ellie heard a quiet ping on her pip-boy and looked down to see a message from Butch.  
B: What the hell was that?

She didn’t bother glancing over, pretending to maintain a cursory interest in Christine’s eardrum shredding as she typed back. 

E: That was a matter of honour. Susie was being an asshole. 

B: I thought it was just an excuse for you to grind on me 

Ugh. The things she did just to annoy that girl…  
E: I miss the days when we didn’t talk. Can we just not talk? 

B: You’re the only one I can message on this damn thing, Nosebleed.

“That doesn’t mean that you hav-“ she was jolted mid message by Christine smashing into her shoulder on the way back to her seat and she shot the girl a dirty look.  
E: How the hell do you stand those two?! 

She heard Butch’s quiet snigger at the back of the classroom and it was swiftly followed by another ping.  
B: Ain’t much talkin’ goin on when I’m with em’ ;) 

She couldn’t help the fake gag that overtook her as she turned to look at him with an expression of disgust. His stupid grin just made it worse. She pouted angrily at him before she noticed Wally glancing between the two of them suspiciously and so she turned back quickly, only succeeding in looking more conspicuous.  
Paul had just been called to the top of the class and she felt sorry for him. The only solo song that the boys could sing was “Sandy”. Trying to sing that properly without laughing at your own “Whyaiaiughwhyyy”s was a nigh impossible task. She often wondered how John Travolta was allowed to make such silly noises during his songs but she was so so glad that he was. 

Another ping.  
B: Jealous? 

E: I’d rather make out with the Overseer 

Butch snorted a laugh and quickly tried to cover it up by coughing only making it seem even more blatant and unnatural. Ellie spotted Mr.Brotch giving him a warning look and cocking his head towards Paul’s performance and so she thought that was the end of it. She tried not to laugh at Paul, she really did but he kept laughing at himself too which just made it funnier. Of the three Tunnel Snakes, Paul was always the nicest so she was glad he wasn’t taking this too seriously.

A few minutes later another message.  
B: I bet that dude’s into some real kinky shit.

The noise that escaped Ellie’s mouth was indescribable. Quickly clasping a hand over her mouth, she hunched over as her body was wracked with uncontrollable giggles. Amata raised an eyebrow at her and that only made her laugh more.  
E: NO.

B: I’m just saying!

She couldn't help herself.  
E: I guess that would explain why there’s so much security in the vault. He must have a thing for men in uniform. 

The two teens tried hard to stifle their laughter as they continued to message back and forth about The Overseer’s sex life- not something she ever thought she’d be discussing. 

As Paul’s performance came to an end and Freddie shuffled nervously to the top of the room Ellie shot him an encouraging grin and a thumbs up, causing him to give her a shaky smile in return.  
She knew he was a great singer; he just needed to get over his nerves and show everyone.  
Luckily, though he tripped over one or two of his lines at the beginning of the song, he soon got into the groove of it and seemed to be enjoying himself in the process. There was a slight pink tinge to his cheeks throughout which Ellie thought made him look quite cute. She hoped that he’d be the one to snag the role of Danny; even if it meant he’d be starring alongside Susie at least he’d get a boost to his confidence.

When his song drew to a close, Ellie and Amata cheered happily, receiving a wide grin from Freddie in return. 

“Amazing what talent our youth possesses!” Beatrice sang as Freddie returned to his seat. “It warms my heart to see what gifts the next generation have been blessed with!”

“This is so dumb.” Butch muttered at the back of the class, half under his breath but loud enough to be heard by Mr.Brotch who immediately frowned at him.

“Ah Butch, considering you were finding everyone else’s auditions so funny a few minutes ago, why don’t you go next?” 

Butch’s eye twitched and he crossed his arms. “Nah teach, I think Wally’s dyin’ to go.” He said with a smirk. “Gotta save the best for last.”

Mr. Brotch rolled his eyes at this and nodded to Wally. “C’mon Wally, let’s get this over with.”

Making a point of passing by Butch on his way to the top of the room, Wally bashed shoulders with him, growling out a “Thanks a lot.” as he did.

His performance was then simultaneously the worst and the funniest thing that they had ever watched. He wasn’t even singing he was just…talking. Hearing the entirety of the song delivered in monotone was beautiful in its own way.

Near the end her pip-boy pinged.  
B: Are you ready for the best performance of your life?

E: You are so full of shit.  
Before she could get a response, the music ran out and signalled the end of Wally’s solo. 

“Alright, thank you Wally…” Mr Brotch said less than convincingly. Wally just shrugged; completely unperturbed and headed back to his seat. Gotta give the guy props for not caring how bad he was Ellie thought to herself. “Now…Mr.Deloria, no more stalling. You’re up.”

At this Butch sauntered to the top of the classroom, hands stuffed into the pockets of his leather jacket with a smug grin on his face. “Hit the music, teach.”  
Mr. Brotch frowned and hit repeat on the holotape, very clearly just wishing for this to all be over. 

Crossing her arms, Ellie leaned back in her chair as she awaited the spectacle. If past experience had taught her anything it was that Butch DeLoria would act like he was the best in the world at anything, regardless of his actual skill level. With this in mind, she wasn’t expecting much from him. He certainly looked the part but that was where the similarities with Danny Zuko ended.

“Stranded at the drive-in…branded a fool~”  
Or maybe not.  
“What will they say…Monday at school~?”

As the music began to pick up a beat, the Tunnel Snake began to walk slowly throughout the classroom, looking up dramatically towards the ceiling as he sang. “Saaaandy, caan’t you see? I’m in misery~ we made a start, now we’re apart, there’s nothing left for me~”

He stopped for a moment at the side of the class and looked off into the distance. “Love has flown, all alone, I sit and wonder-“ he clutched his chest “Why-ai-ai-ohhh-whyyyy you left me oh Sandy!”

This was ridiculous, Ellie was mad. He wasn’t allowed to have talent. You can’t hype yourself up like that and then actually deliver.

Gesturing dramatically to the sky, he turned and bellowed. “Ohhh Sandy BABY~ Some day when High-ai-school is done…Somehow, someway our two worlds will be one! In heaven, forever and ever we will be. Oh please say you’ll stay oh Sandy~”

Suddenly he turned and started walking towards the blonde, speaking his lines to her. “Sandy my darling, you hurt me real bad. You know it’s true.” Ellie’s face started to heat up out of embarrassment. “but baby you gotta believe me when I say-” was he? The bastard was grinning at her. Oh god she wanted to punch him. “I’m helpless without you~”  
He reached her desk and pulled both hands to his chest before throwing them out wide. “LOVE HAS FLOWN ALL ALONE~” As he sat down in front of her she wished that the ground would swallow her up. “I sit…I wonder…Why-ai-ai-ohhh WHY you left me…oh Sandy~”

“Saaaaandy~” 

He was leaning closer.

“Saaaaaaaaandy~”

STOP LEANING CLOSER.

“WHY-AI-AI-AIIIIII~”

He looked deep into her eyes with such a shit eating grin on his face that she wanted to kill him there and then. “oh Sandy” he cooed, delighting in how flustered she had gotten. 

“BRAVO, BRAVO!” Beatrice exclaimed, standing up from her chair and clapping excitedly. “The drama! The chemistry! We have found our Danny and Sandy!”

Both the teens eyes widened and they looked between Beatrice and each other in shock. 

Vaguely Ellie registered Susie screeching “WHAT?!” in the background but she was too busy glaring at Butch to pay attention. “You are DEAD Butch DeLoria.”


	3. Tunnel Snakes Drool

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay friends!   
> This chapter helped me get back into the swing of things so hopefully I won't be so long with the next one.

“You are DEAD Butch DeLoria!”

His first instinct had been to laugh. Butch’s favourite thing to do in the whole world was get under Ellie Hart’s skin at every possible opportunity. When she got riled up she scrunched up her nose so much that the freckles there almost blended into one solid colour and made her look ridiculous. He lived for it.   
When Beatrice pronounced them as the leads however, his enjoyment was stunted.

“Shit, what?!” He yelped, backing up from his place in front of the blonde immediately. “I don’t wanna be lead with her!”

Ellie looked like she was ready to lunge across the desk and strangle him. 

“Beatrice, surely you can’t make the decision just like that!” Mr.Brotch cut in, an edge of pleading in his voice that showed he too wanted anyone but those two as the leads.

The woman waved him off. “You wouldn’t understand Edwin. As a woman of the arts, I can see the unspoken emotions waiting to burst through between our dear Butch and Ellie here. We need that kind of passion for our leads!”

The two teens in question eyed each other in horror.

Mr.Brotch sighed in defeat before addressing the class. “Alright students, thank you for your wonderful auditions and…congratulations…to Butch and Ellie who will play our Danny and Sandy.”

Ellie mouthed a “why” before slamming her head down on her desk at this.

“Beatrice and I will review the rest of the performances and post the remaining roles outside the classroom later today. Class dismissed.”

As the teens began to pack up their things to leave, Butch took the opportunity to regroup with his fellow Tunnel Snakes outside the class.

Paul was grinning widely at him as he took his side. “Congratulations Butch! Of course the leader of the Tunnel Snakes has gotta play the leader of the T-Birds! Tunnel Snakes rule!”

“Hehehe yeah, you know it!” Butch smirked back.

“More like Tunnel Snakes drool.” Wally Mack muttered as he emerged from the classroom, a sour look on his face. “Since when do we do all this singin’ and dancin’ shit?”

Butch narrowed his eyes at him. “Can it Wally. Who’s the leader here?”

“I was about to ask the same thing. What was the deal with you and Hart in there?” he challenged him. “You getting’ sweet on the pipsqueak?”

Butch recoiled a little in disgust. “Nosebleed?! Ugh as if. I was just screwin’ with her”

“Well you seemed real fuckin’ chummy with ‘er to me.”

“Yeah, what were you guys laughing at the whole time?” Paul asked.

“Laughin’ at you guys’ sorry performances, that’s what” he quipped defensively.

As if on cue, Ellie came stomping out of the classroom, Amata in tow.

“Well done idiot, now we’re stuck together!” She growled, squaring up to him, which was difficult considering she was about a foot and a half shorter.

He crossed his arms and smirked at her. “Relax Princess, most people would kill for quality time with the Butch-man”

She rolled her eyes with a groan. “Those people need to get their heads examined.”

“We’ve been sayin’ that ‘bout you for years but nothin’s changed” he sneered.

The blonde growled and balled her fists by her sides angrily but Amata grabbed hold of her arm and began to pull her away. “C’mon Ellie, he’s not worth it.”  
Ellie huffed as she was led away by her friend and Butch just chuckled to himself at how easy it was to annoy her.

A quick glance into the classroom caught him a glimpse of a steaming Susie heading his way however and he really didn’t want to the on the receiving end of her wrath.

“C’mon Tunnel Snakes” he began hastily, “Let’s get somethin’ to eat”

Though he sped off towards the diner without even checking if his friends were behind him, in the end he didn’t manage to avoid the girls entirely.   
Just as he was digging into a veggie burger, Susie and Christine sat themselves across from him in the booth, slotting in on either side of Wally.

“What the hell was that?!” Christine snapped at him.

He raised an eyebrow at her and tried to remain indifferent. “What was what?”

Susie glared at him. “WE were supposed to be the leads, Butchie! What the hell did you think you were doing?!”

He cringed a little at the use of the pet name. Only his ma called him Butchie. Coming out of anyone else it just sounded weird. 

“Yeah and now we have to play backup to Ellie of all people!” Christine added, speaking the name with venom.

Butch had to resist the urge to roll his eyes at them but he knew better than to give them something else to go off on him about. Instead he just frowned. It felt like he was being put on trial. “Girls, chill out, it’s just a musical.”

He took a bite from his burger to accentuate his point and watched as their faces cycled through emotions. Eventually Susie settled on disgust.   
“Yeah, it’s just a musical where you’re gonna have to stick your tongue down her throat. No biggie.”

Butch nearly choked on his food. “Pf-what!?”

Beside him, Paul piped up. “Yeah, Butch. Haven’t you ever seen the movie? Sandy and Danny are supposed to be in love, of course they’re gonna kiss.”

Truthfully no, he hadn’t ever seen the movie. He heard that Danny was the leader of a gang just like he was so naturally he decided that if he had to be in the stupid musical he was gonna be the coolest cat in it. Plus, it was his ma’s favourite and he had to admit, some of the songs were pretty catchy.

“This little rivalry of yours is getting ridiculous! You can’t keep acting like a pair of kids forever!” Susie spat after his silence.

Immediately he went on the defensive. “Like it’s any of your business what I do anyway!”

“Hey, watch it.” Wally warned him.

“Why’s everyone so worked up about this stupid show?” Butch growled, getting up from his seat. “It’s not the end of the fuckin’ world!”

“It might not be the end of the world,” Suzie shouted, eyes welling up with tears. “But it sure as hell is the end of us!”

Butch stared at her dumbfounded for a few moments before groaning and throwing his hands up. “I didn’t even know we were together!”

As tears began to roll down Susie’s face, Wally fixed him with a glare. “I think you better get the hell outta here, Butch” 

“Fine! You’re all friggin crazy anyway.” He exclaimed, turning on his heel. “I need a fuckin’ smoke after all this shit.”  
To hell with them, it’s just a damn musical.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who comments on this to tell me they're enjoying it by the way because it totally makes my day so I'm glad to be able to put out content that makes you happy!! <3


	4. Paint

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was trying to hold out and get a long chapter for this one but it was just taking forever so here we are!
> 
> Does anyone have any preference over shorter, more frequent chapters or longer less frequent ones? Let me know!
> 
> Anyway, hope you guys enjoy!

 

“Hey honey, how were the auditions today?” James asked with a smile as his daughter came through the door.

When her only response was to groan and throw herself face first into the sofa he sighed softly and came to sit beside her, gently nudging her legs out of the way to free up the edge of the seat. “Alright, tell me what happened. Did Susie get Sandy?”

“S’worse.” She grumbled into the padded arm.

James frowned. “Come on Ellie, I know you got a part. You’re a fantastic singer.”

Eventually the girl turned herself around to reveal the pained expression on her face as she angrily blew a lock of wavy blonde hair from her eyes. “ _I’m_ Sandy.”

Her Father’s brow furrowed in confusion. “That’s wonderful news isn’t it?”

“I wanted to be Rizzo!” She whined, crossing her arms.

James placed a hand on her knee and jostled it reassuringly. “Aww Kiddo, I’m sorry. You’re going to be the lead of the whole show though. Surely that counts for something.”

She levelled him with a dead gaze. “Butch is playing Danny.”

His eyes widened and he pulled back a little. “Butch? As in…Butch?”

At this, Ellie groaned again and covered her face with her hands. “Why does this always happen to me?”

“I-I’m sure it won’t be that bad.” He offered less than convincingly.

She grunted in response and he continued. “At least try not to get into too many fights. As much as I enjoy you visiting me at work I prefer when it’s not as a patient.”

His daughter snorted at this and fixed him with a sly grin. “If anyone is gonna end up in the clinic it’ll be him.” She cracked her knuckles for dramatic effect and James couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Ellie…” he chided her half-heartedly as she beamed at him.

“Don’t worry.” She assured him. “I’ll be good”

“I’ll believe that when I see it.” He laughed, ruffling her hair.

**********************

The next day preparations for the musical began with building the set and props. Ellie had very quickly tried to volunteer herself for anything other than painting as she had no talent for the act but Beatrice announced that the set building would be a wonderful bonding experience for the on-stage couples and so she groaned as Butch demanded that they paint.

She tried to fight it, especially when he refused to take off that stupid jacket of his no matter how impractical, but he just rolled up his sleeves and ignored her. Luckily however, Amata had been cast as Frenchy and Paul as Doody so they were also part of her team.

The various groups sat in circles on the floor across the hall, surrounded by paint pots and paper. Butch had declared himself the leader of the four of them and so while he, Paul and Amata plotted out plans for a backdrop, Ellie was given the task of painting logos.

It was less than twenty minutes in when the first argument arose.

“What…what the hell is that?” Butch asked, having come over to stare bemusedly at Ellie’s artwork.

She frowned. “You told me to do the logos. It’s a bird. Y’know…for the T-birds…”

He tilted his head and furrowed his brows. “That ain’t a bird.”

“It is!” she protested. “Look, here’s the wing…”

“It looks like it got smashed by somethin’ real heavy. Why’s it all flattened like that?”

“It’s a T! It’s got its wings out like this…” she gestured, holding her arms out from her sides.

He shook his head. “Looks like it got smushed.”

 “IT’S A BIRD, OKAY.” She growled.

“THAT’S NOT WHAT A BIRD LOOKS LIKE”

“WE’VE NEVER SEEN ONE, WHO CARES?!”

Across from them, Amata and Paul were rolling their eyes at each other. “Why do they do this?” Amata groaned.

Paul shook his head and tried to interject. “It’s just a drawing, boss.”

Butch looked horribly offended. “You call that a drawin’?!”

“I said I can’t paint!” Ellie exclaimed exasperatedly.

“Here, just let me fix it.” Butch grunted, kneeling down and shunting her out of the way with his shoulder.

“What, no! Get your own damn painting!” Ellie growled, trying to shove him back which all but failed because of the massive size difference between them.

“Quit it, Nosebleed!” he snapped, pushing her away with one hand on her head.

She elbowed him under the arm at this and when she shoved him next, was able to upset his balance enough to have him topple over, directly onto a pot of paint.

The blonde knew she was in trouble when she saw the Tunnel Snake inspecting his signature jacket’s new white paint splotches in horror but there was no time to react. When their eyes finally met she could see such a fury in them that she immediately thought she should run.

She had barely gotten to her feet however, when she was tackled to the ground with an “umphf.” Struggling to turn around from her prone position, she just managed to spot Butch kneeling over her with a pot of black paint and a mad glint in his eyes.

“Any last words, Nosebleed?” he cackled, holding the paint above her head.

She pouted indignantly and tried to crawl out from under him uselessly. “You shouldn’t have been wearing your stupid jacket anyway, jackass!”

With that, she felt her collar get pulled back and paint suddenly pour down the back of her suit, causing her to shriek and wriggle more insistently, managing to turn around in time for the remainder to pour all over her front.

Butch was laughing far too hard at her discomfort she thought and so she gathered some of the paint from her chest in her hands before reaching up to smear it all over his face.

He yelped and pulled back and she managed to finally get out from under him, reaching for another pot of paint just barely within reach, only for him to pin her hand in the knick of time. Thus began a tussle for the paint pots between the two as more and more of the room began to take notice.

“What the hell are you doing, Butch?” Wally Mack called from across the room. “I didn’t realise we were finger paintin’”

“Shut the hell up, Wally!” Butch snapped as Ellie grabbed a red paint pot and tried to throw it at him, splashing more on herself than him.

“Come on guys, you’re going to get us in trouble!” Amata exclaimed, standing far enough away to make sure she didn’t get any of the fallout.

“He started it!” Ellie growled from her new place atop Butch’s back. She had somehow managed to flip their positions so that he was lying face down on the floor and she had grabbed his arm and pulled it behind him.

“You started it!” he barked. “I was just tryna fix your dumb drawin’!”

“I didn’t ask for your help, Butthead! Now, say Uncle!” She snarled, twisting his arm.

He yelped and tapped the ground with his free arm. “Uncle! Jeez, get off me!”

She hopped up at this and he scrambled to his feet, working out his shoulder that she had pulled back. The two eyed each other warily for a moment, taking in the sight of themselves covered in paint.

Butch’s jacket was covered in white splashes and there was a big black handprint on his face while Ellie had a giant black bib on her front with black and red throughout her hair. They looked each other up and down, trying to keep serious faces before one finally cracked a smile and they both lost it.

“You look ridiculous” Ellie snorted, trying to cover her mouth to keep the giggles in.

“You should see yourself.” He chortled. “Looks like you smushed that bird you were drawin’ with your face”

“Leave my bird alone!” she half whined, half laughed. “There’s a reason I’m not the vault artist.”

“Here, lemme show you how it’s done.” Kneeling down on the floor, he grabbed a clean piece of paper and set about drawing his own bird.

Ellie sighed and sunk to her haunches beside him. Much to her chagrin, his drawing was easily better than hers and she narrowed her eyes as he held it up proudly.

“See, Nosebleed? Ain’t that hard.”

“I guess it looks less like roadkill…” she conceded, scrunching up her nose. “S’got less character though.”

“Careful, Pipsqueak” he snickered. “That was almost a compliment.”

“Closest you’re ever gonna get to one too.” She scoffed.

“Oh Sandy baby, with sweet talk like that, how’s a guy supposed to resist?” he crooned.

She rolled her eyes. “Shut up, Butch.”


End file.
